The Houston Rockets had one of their biggest wins of the season on Sunday when they overcame a 13-point deficit to defeat the Sacramento Kings on the road. In the process, however, they may have suffered their biggest loss when star center Alperen Sengun went down late in the fourth quarter.
The play came with less than a minute to play and the Rockets leading by eight. Kings center Domantas Sabonis stole the ball and raced down the floor for a layup. Sengun chased him down and fouled him, but landed awkwardly and immediately looked to be in significant pain.
Sengun remained on the ground for several minutes. He ultimately needed to be taken off of the floor in a wheelchair. It was later announced by head coach Ime Udoka that Sengun was undergoing X-rays. In an update shortly thereafter, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Sengun will undergo an MRI on both his right knee and ankle on Monday.
Sengun was having a breakout season for the Rockets. New coach Ime Udoka decided to build much more of Houston’s offense around the third-year center, and Sengun has rewarded him with 21.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and five assists per game this season. Even despite Houston’s slide down the standings, he was still expected to finish near the top of the voting for the Most Improved Player award.
For now, the extent of Sengun’s injury remains unclear, but Houston is very thin in the front court. The Rockets traded for Steven Adams at the deadline hoping he would be their backup center next season, but he is out for this season due to an injury he suffered in Memphis. Young forward Tari Eason is also out for the year due to a leg injury. The Rockets are already 4.5 games out of the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference. If Sengun misses significant time, any slim hope they might have had of reaching the postseason is likely gone.
KVSP